An Inquisition of Equis
by DeathAngelWolf
Summary: The Emperors Holy Inquisition, an organization shrouded in mystery. Here, we follow the audio logs of Inquisitor Lord Joshua. He is searching through a long forgotten system, system Equis; long lost, since the Horus Heresy. We follow the discoveries he makes in the system. Rated M for swearing, Gore, Death and other unsavory things. Enjoy at your own peril. Reviews appreciated.
1. Log one: Arrival

This is Inquisitor Lord Joshua, If you are hearing this message, I am already dead. This audio log contains all of the data on my most recent mission; the exploration of a star system that has been lost to the Emperor's light for many millennia. I shall begin this log with our arriving in the star system, fresh out of the warp.

Location: Segmentum Equis.

Battle Barge Emperor's Holy Fury.

"Captain, are we out of warp-space yet." I asked impatiently. "Aye Lord Inquisitor Joshua, we have just exited and are now making way to the planet as we speak." Captain Jonathan said, slightly irritated. "good, I would like to finally be able to get to the site of our mission. We have not seen this system since the great Horus Heresy; and I would like to see what happened here since our leaving." I said monotonous. "Lord Inquisitor, the ships sensors are picking up five nearby planets that I have dubbed Equis I, Equis II, Equis III, Equis IV, and Equis V." Procrean, our ships magos, said with machine-like disinterest. Just then, a tech-priest of Procrean's hobbled in, speaking in a mix of High Gothic and machine voice. Procrean looked over to me after dismissing his tech-priest. "Lord Inquisitor, it would seem that we have a new target, Equis III is reported to have strange occurrences that might be a result of warp taint." He said with steam hissing with his voice. "Hm, well, tell me of the possible warp taint that has occurred." I said with impatience. "My lord, the sensors say that somehow the planet is frozen in place, it defies physics; also, the planets moon is frozen in place exactly opposite to the sun, it casts an eternal night upon the planets darkened side. Another occurrence is that the lit half of the planet has been turned to desert." The old magos said with….worry? "If you are worried my old magos friend, then we must investigate immediately." Turns to captain. "Assemble a Deathwatch team at once." Turns to Magos. "Magos, prepare your tech-priests for a ground team, we must see what is going on with this planet." I spoke with impatience and worry together. The two moved to do my will and the captains next in command took the helm. I marched down to the armory to prepare myself for the journey. Upon arrival. I noted that my whole kill team was here, Tark, Avit, and Sec. They were my most trusted soldiers; Tark was a bolter expert; Avit was heavy weapons, and Sec prefered his old terminator armor and thunder hammer and shield assault kit. I promptly went to the weapons rack and selected a plasma pistol with a chain-sword as my melee weapon. I suited up in my holy power armor, and walked out with my kill-team at my heels. We arrived at the hangar to see it in a state of organized chaos. Servitors went about arming our ships for war while gun-gangs whipped by their masters outfitted our ships with all the provisions we would ever need. We walked through the mess, my kill team smashing aside anyone or any servitor that tried to get in the way. We finally boarded the Thunderhawk after about twenty minutes of waiting for the damn crews to ready it. I watched from a port-hole as the magos and his tech-priests did the same in thunderhawk two. We strapped in for the long journey, before our ships psyker, Thules, jumped aboard at the last minute. "*Huff...Huff* Sorry my lord that I am late, but I had to get my tome so I could protect us from possible warp taint." I waved my hand to silence him and pointed to his seat. He took his seat and strapped himself in. We finally heard the engines fire to life, and we steadily lifted off the ground. The thunderhawk suddenly lurched forwards, speeding off out of the hangar, and into the deep, dark space towards Equis III.

Forty-five standard Terran minutes later.

We had just hit the atmosphere, and we felt the bumpiness of the ride as we hit gravity. We came in low, noticing that the magos was right; the planet looked as though it was seared desert. There were even forests of nothing but rotted trees and bushes. We saw a town situated upon a mountain-side, and decided to stop there. I unstrapped myself and went to the cockpit; "Pilot, set us down over there in the mountain city. Tell the magos pilot to do the same as well. Understood?" I shouted to the pilot. "Aye Lord Inquisitor, will do." He said while picking up the radio. He repeated my message and got a grunt of affirmation in response; I went back to my seat and awaited the hatch to open. I felt the ship lurch to a stop, and we slowly descended towards what appeared to be the remains of a park. We settled down, and the hatch slowly lifted down upon the earth. My kill team spread out, covering every possible attack route, before finally calling me and Thules out. I calmly strode out, though, the psyker did not look good. "Emperor's blood, what happened here?" I asked as I looked about and saw naught but ruins and graves for miles around. The tech-priests touched down and we moved cautiously towards their thunderhawk. The magos strode out. "What in the Omnissiah's holy name happened here! such mistreatment of technology! They have let this place rot for five years!" The magos said distortedly, in rage. "Thank you magos for giving me the answer to my question. We cannot tarry long though, we must be gone of here immediately." We moved through the ruins, not finding any signs of life, not even bones of the people that had lived here. The magos was obviously cursing in the machine language. "Quiet yourself Magos, if you alert any Xenos that we are here you will find that me and the Xenos will have an enemy in common." I hissed to him. He shut up promptly after that. We moved through the city, finding more ruins and we even stopped at a graveyard to examine the remains stored within. When we had finished digging up the grave, we found naught but the remains of an Equine. "What? Why would humans bury their horses like this?" I asked, confused. "Lord Inquisitor, I am detecting psychic anomalies in the area; a living psyker is nearby." Thules called out suddenly. We stopped with the grave digging and readied our weapons as we cautiously advanced through the ruins of the city to find what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient castle. Thules pointed to the castle. "There, in there; the psyker is in that building." I stormed ahead of the group, hearing my kill team plead to me to not go in. I strode up the cracked steps and was met by a long corridor that led to an immense throne room. I heard the kill team rush up behind me and stop as I held my hand up. I was sensing a fluctuation of emotions in the room, anger, sadness, and horror. (I am a psyker of a lesser degree, an Empath, I can sense emotions of another.) I told the kill team to take up defensive positions while I scouted ahead. As I reached the throne room, the emotions grew stronger. I felt them close in on me, and soon I saw an….equine, it was rushing towards me with frantic speed. "My lord, look out, the xeno seeks to end your life." Avit said frantically. I heard naught this but noticed that the equine jumped to me and tackled me to the cold ground. "Please, help me, don't let them get me!" It screamed in High Gothic. I lay there stunned, before looking up and seeing what she was terrified of. "Daemons! kill them! Kill them all!" I howled as the sound of bolters and melee weapons sprang to life. I jumped forward, pushing the equine off as I charged with the fury of the Emperor into battle. I swung into the first daemon, catching it by the gut and hauling it upwards, then I smashed my fist down upon its back, smashing it in half upon my chain-sword; blood splattered all over my arms. I turned and fired my plasma pistol into the face of another. hacking and slashing, I killed all that stood in my path; all the while, the fire kept up as Thules chanted litanies of protection to ward off the taint of the warp. Finally, when the guns stopped hammering, I looked around; we had cut nearly a hundred daemons to bits. I returned my attention to the equine, and upon closer examination I noticed that it had wings upon its back and a horn atop its head. The equine was solid white, with some form of branding that looked like a miniature sun upon its flanks. "Emperor forgive me. What are you little xeno?" I asked with disdain. "I do not care what it is my lord, we should kill it." Tark spoke. "Oh thank you, thank you for saving me. They were going to get me. Just like they got my sister." The little pony said as she started to cry. "We must get this xeno aboard the ship for interrogation; she may know what happened to this place." I spoke with authority. "But my lord, we already know that a daemon infestation is here; why not just exterminatus this wretched place and we may move on." Sec said, challenging my authority. "Captain, it is not yours to question an Inquisitor, only to do my will. So kindly shut it." I emphasized his rank to my own and snarled at the end of it. He promptly shut his mouth, upon which Avit scooped the little equine up and held it with one hand while one handing his heavy bolter. "Time to go, we have naught time to tarry here." I ordered with conviction. We set out at a quick pace through the ruins, finally finding Procrean and his tech-priests; they had set up a base camp in the ruins of a shop of some sorts, and they had repaired much of it. Procrean stepped forward when he saw us. "Inquisitor, why are you back so soon? And why do you have that colorful equine with you?" He said the last part with disdain. "Believe me, it was not my choice. We were scouting some old castle ruins when we found this little xeno equine here running frantically from a horde of daemons. She had tackled me to the ground and screamed at me in High Gothic for us to "Save her from the creatures." I said tiredly. "Lord Inquisitor, it is not mine to question your capabilities, but my augers show that your body is quite fatigued and that you require rest." The magos augmented voice hummed. "Aye, but I shall wait until we are safely aboard the ship before I will rest." I said with conviction. "My lord, you may take your thunderhawk to the ship with your prisoner as well, but could you radio to have a ground team sent here at once? We would like to continue studying from the ground and we need extra protection from daemon attack." The magos said, steam hissing. "I can leave my kill team here, they will be much more experienced with this sort of thing." I said, waving my hands to silence objection. Suddenly we heard screaming. "No, no, no don't let them get me! Don't let the monsters get me!" I rushed over only to see the little xeno sitting there screaming to the heavens. "Analysis says that she has suffered an imprint likely from watching something terrible happen either to her or someone close to her. She will likely continue this for a time my lord." Apothecary Tark spoke. "Thank you kindly apothecary, now knock it out and take it to the thunderhawk for me." I ordered. Tark nodded and hit the xeno right in the back of the neck, knocking it out for a time. He scooped the little xeno up and roughly carried it to the thunderhawk. he arrived back a few minutes later. "Your will is done my lord. Shall we get you aboard as well." I nodded, and we walked to the thunderhawk. I walked in and sat down at my seat, strapping my self in. "Tark, tell the kill team that they are to stay here and guard Procrean and his tech-priests until my return. Understood?" I said. He nodded, then backed out of the thunderhawk just as we were taking off. We lurched upwards and slowly rose to flight. We sped off towards the ship with the little xeno waking just as I was speaking a poem of the Emperor.

There's a long black train comin' down the line,

Feeding off the souls that are lost and cryin'.

Rails of sin, only evil remains.

Watch out, brother, for that long black train.

Look to the heaven's, you can look to the sky.

You can find redemption staring back into your eyes.

There is protection and there's peace the same:

Burnin' your ticket for that long black train.

'Cause there's victory in the Emperor, I say.

Victory in the Emperor.

Cling to the Father and his Holy name,

And don't go ridin' on that long black train.

There's an engineer on that long black train,

Makin' you wonder if the ride is worth the pain.

He's just a-waitin' on your heart to say:

"Let me ride on that long black train."

But you know there's victory in the Emperor, I say.

Victory in the Emperor.

Cling to the Father and his Holy name,

And don't go ridin' on that long black train.

Well, I can hear the whistle from a mile away.

It sounds so good but I must stay away.

That train is a beauty makin' everybody stare,

But it's only destination is the middle of nowhere.

But you know there's victory in the Emperor, I say.

Victory in the Emperor.

Cling to the Father and his Holy name,

And don't go ridin' on that long black train.

I said cling to the Father and his Holy name,

And don't go ridin' on that long black train.

Yeah, watch out brother for that long black train.

Them devil's o' Chaos is drivin' that long black train.

As I finished my poem, I looked over to find the little xeno looking at me in astonishment. "I hope you did not mind a little music little xeno. Just an old poem I learned about the Emperor." I said sarcastically. She did not notice, but instead said "That was an amazing poem. could you do more?" I nodded. "I could, but I would prefer not to little xeno. I should tell you that you are perhaps the first xeno I have not gunned down at first sight." I said with disdain towards the xeno. "But, you rescued me. Why?" The little equine asked. "I 'rescued' you because perhaps you could tell me what has happened to this star system." I said harshly. it was about to break into tears again so I slapped it across the face, stopping it from having flashbacks. "You need to get control over yourself, or I will have to show you true pain and what it means" I yelled into its ear. It promptly shut up, but it did whimper from time to time. After a long journey through space, we finally arrived at the hangars of the Emperors Holy Fury. The little xeno seemed astonished at the sheer size and advanced technology of the battle barge. "I notice that you seem to be surprised by this. This is battle barge Emperors Holy Fury, and it has served as my springboard of which I launch my operations from. She is but one of many ships of her line, and she ain't no push over." I said. The little xeno was getting quite its share of looks from the gun-gangs assigned to this hangar; but when they saw me with it, they understood, nodded and walked on. We finally made our way through the mess that was the hangar, and we walked up the long, ancient corridors towards where I would be keeping the xeno contained for interrogation. We arrived at the cell, and I opened the lock with a combination only I knew. "This shall be your quarters for the time you are aboard this ship. Have a look around. Afterwards, we must talk. Okay?" The xeno nodded, and quickly looked about the spartan room. The room was a basic holding cell, it had a cot in the corner with a small lavatory located nearby. The cell was completely closed off, so it afforded complete privacy to the cell owner. "I take it this will suffice for now, yes?" I said being falsely nice. The xeno flashed an eerily human smile, and nodded. it sat down upon the cot; I stood like a statue. "So, perhaps you could answer me a few questions about yourself while I am here?" I asked. "What would you like to know, I will tell you anything you would like to know." It said honestly.

I set my recorder down upon a table and began.

Interrogation Attempt one.

"First question. What is your name little xeno?" I asked.

"My...my name is Celestia." It answered.

"Celestia, what are you exactly?"

"I am an Alicorn." Celestia answered.

"What is an Alicorn? Please be specific."

"An alicorn is the supreme pony of our planet. We have both horns and wings. We can perform the most powerful magic of all and can fly like our relatives the Pegasus." Celestia answered.

"Clarify, you say that there is more than one type of species; and that Alicorns are supreme beings?"

"Yes….Alicorns are the rulers of our planet, and we have four types of ponies on our planet. Alicorns, Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies." Celestia answered.

"Could you tell me of these other species and what they are and do?"

"Pegasi are ponies that are born with wings. They naturally are able to control the weather and can walk upon clouds or other soft materials. Unicorns are ponies born with horns; the horn allows them to focus their magic into things like spells. Most unicorns use only basic spells like telekinesis or teleportation, but some like my student Twilight...Sparkle…..

She trailed off, remembering something apparently.

"Hey, hey are still in there?" I snapped my fingers in front of her and she snapped out of her trance, screaming. "No, no, no we have to run Twilight, we cannot best them!" She started swatting at the air at imagined creatures. "Throne On Terra! I am not going to sit here and wait for this to end!" I growled angrily.

I smashed the off button after sliding the recorder into its holster as I walked out, locking the door behind me.

Audio log one end.

So, how was the first chapter in this long tale of Inquisitor Lord Joshua? Did you enjoy it? Please let me know what you think about this story in form of** Reviews.** So yeah, let me know how I a doing and what you think should be tweaked or taken out of the story. So Read, Review and like; all of that good stuff, because it is the forty-first millennium, and there is only war.

This is Inquisitor Lord Joshua sig….*Smash, slap* "What in the Emperors name is going on here! You stealing my lines; damn you Inquisitor Joshua!" DeathAngelWolf shouts, after returning from vacation. "Apologies audience, but that line is mine and mine only." Glares at the Inquisitor.

This is DeathAngelWolf, signing off.


	2. Log two: Questions and loss

Audio recording two, begin playback.

Location: Above Equis Three.

Emperors Holy Fury, Battle Barge.

Holding Cell.

I leaned up against the door, hearing the screaming continue for what seemed like forever. Finally, the screams stopped, and I opened the door to the little Alicorn laying sprawled out flat upon the floor, breathing heavily. It looked up and had oversized eyes that seemed feral, as though it was frightened, it backed up against the cot against the wall. Whimpering as I approached, it swatted at me, yet it was for naught as my holy power armor held firm against the attacks. I picked the little xeno up in my arms and put it in a sleeper hold. The little Alicorn struggled for quite some time; but after a few minutes had passed, I heard the desired result; she was out like a light. I promptly dropped the xeno to the floor and walked out of the cell, locking it behind me once again. As I walked down the ancient corridors I felt my old body begin to finally crack under the extreme stress exerted upon it today. "Emperors blood, I really have fucked myself up today. I need some rest, or I will run this old body into the ground." I muttered under my breath. I walked along the corridors, using my hand to lean against the wall for support. I finally went around a bend and found my room. I put my hand to the gene-lock and it took a tissue sample to confirm my identity. "Identity match, Inquisitor Lord Joshua Samson; welcome home Lord Inquisitor." A montone machine voice said. The bulkhead door opened and I stepped inside. The room was spartan, yet it held much in the way of knowledge; Many volumes of my recorded journeys across many a system were recorded here. "Lord Joshua, it is your one-thousandth and twenty-sixth birthday today; would you like a formal celebration to be conducted?" The machine voice asked. "Negative; I would prefer to get some rest." I answered in a chilling tone. The voice did not respond, so I stepped over to the armor station in the corner and let it piece by piece remove my Inquisitorial armor and replace it with my ordos Xenos robes. I finally had the armor off and l slid over towards my bed, passing the mirror as I did so. I looked not a day over thirty, (Thanks to Genetic enhancement, I am capable of living for many thousands of years and still appear and feel young.) My eyes were dark and cold, a shade of deep green. Most of my lower jaw was replaced with machinery due to the fact that an Eldar farseer had blasted it off with her psyker abilities. I continued on to my bed for some rest, and finally laid upon the cold mattress. I closed my eyes and the nightmares began.

Joshua's Nightmare.

"Son run, you have to run, I can hold them off just fine!" My father bellowed. "But dad, you can't! Let me help, please!" I screamed. "Joshlyn, you have to take our son away from here, now!" Dad yelled. My mother scooped me up, kicking and screaming and ran as the door was finally smashed open. "Come and get me you damn Eldar! I can take you, all of you!" I heard father shout. Gunfire sounded for miles around as we ran, I heard fire returned and my father grunt in pain as he fell to the ground. we kept running, my mother whispering that everything would be alright. I heard a loud crack and suddenly my mother tumbled to the ground with me. I fell just a short ways away from her and saw that she had a disk stuck in her back. I ran to her but was smashed to the ground by an Eldar soldier. I heard the damn xenos talk to each other in their language; then they looked at mother and shot her point blank as she tried to flee. I rushed forward in grief and anger and smashed the Eldar soldier in the face; stealing its weapon as it dropped to the ground. I pointed it towards the other soldier, pulling the trigger and ending its pitiful life. I turned around and bashed the first soldier in the face with his rifle, screaming in hatred at the xeno. I put the rifle to his head and shot him point blank. the strength and adrenaline finally left my system and I dropped the rifle and fell to the ground crying; I sobbed for what felt like hours before the Imperial guard patrol found me. "Are you okay? You need help little boy?" The soldier asked kindly. I nodded my head but could not speak, my throat was so raw from screaming. He looked at the scene and guessed exactly what had happened. "Your mothers soul is with the Emperor now. Not many boys your age could ever have killed Eldar like this, you're a strong one." The guardsmen said. I shook my head. "Son, I would hate to see potential wasted, hows about you come with us?" He said as he offered his laspistol to me. I nodded and took the laspistol, and we walked off into the wastes; hearing the echo of artillery as it banged loudly into the sorrowful night.

End Nightmare.

I awoke with a start, hearing someone banging upon the bulkhead to my quarters. I groggily rose to my feet and went to the armor station, suiting up in full battle armor. I slowly walked to the door, opening it. "Who dares awake me from my rest." I snarled. "Lord Inquisitor, apologies for waking you, but I was ordered to inform you that we are detecting high concentrations of Psychic energy in the holding cell of the xeno prisoner. It could possibly interfere with the engines and cause us to crash into the planet." The runner said, not intimidated. "Very well, I shall see to this issue personally. Now, back to your duties, as there shall be no slackers on my ship." I harshly ordered. He saluted and ran off to his assigned area. I walked out the door and shut the bulkhead behind me. I walked down the corridors with practiced ease, and soon was in front of the holding cell. I entered the combination and walked into the room to see the entire rooms furniture floating about. "What in the Emperors name are you doing!" I bellowed to the little pony. Suddenly all the objects dropped to the floor, revealing the little pony and I reached forwards, grabbing it by its mane. "We do not use psychic abilities aboard ship; you want us to crash and burn upon your pathetic planet!" I howled, enraged. I let the Alicorn go roughly, and then set the stool back upright and dropped onto it. I watched as the little pony gradually recovered. "Why, why would you be so harsh; I was entertaining myself." It spoke. "I am harsh to you because your entertainment as you call it, could interfere with the ships engines; which would mean that we would be sucked into your planets atmosphere and then we would crash. That could cause hundreds if not thousands to die for but your enjoyment. You see hopefully why I am so 'harsh' now do you not." I said bitterly. The little alicorn looked shocked and stuttered apologies, but I held up my hand and sighed. "Apologies will get you nothing in this realm xeno, only through actions will you prove you are worth allowing to live." I harshly whispered. "Sir, um...could we perhaps continue with the questioning you were conducting yesterday; I am sorry I could not control myself, I…...let you down." The little xeno said. "Hmpf...I still need information and you are willing to give it to me, so let us pick up where we have left off." I said.

Puts recorder on table after setting it upright.

Interrogation attempt two.

"To begin, you mentioned a student of some sorts, was her name Twilight Sparkle and what happened to her?" I asked.

"She…..she was my personal student, I…..took her under my hoof and taught her all I could about magic. She….she was like a daughter to me, and now….now she has been taken by the monsters." Celestia said, almost in tears already.

"Hey, hey you need to keep yourself together okay. Next question; Describe these monsters. What did they look like? What could they do?" I asked.

They….they had red skin, no hair at all. They walked on two legs like you, but they…..they were not as friendly as you had long bloodied blades that were glowing with a red aura." Celestia choked out.

"Interesting, now what can you tell me of your sister? You mentioned that you had a sister from when we were at the castle correct?" I asked, intrigued.

"My….my sister…...Her name was…..was…...Luna…She….she was my sister and co-Ruler of Equestria as a whole. She...she controlled the night and I myself controlled the day." Celestia stammered out.

"Interesting, but how could such a coincidence be possible? I mean, this sister of the xeno is named after the sacred satellite-moon at Holy Terra; where the very first true sons of the Emperor were made. It has to be a coincidence but it just doesn't feel like it could be." I pondered with my eyebrows raised at the possibility. The xeno noticed my silence. "Is something wrong? Have I offended you or something?" Celestia asked, worried. I shook out of my trance and remembered where I was.

"No, I am fine; it is just that your sister bears the name of one of the Holiest places in the Imperium of Man." I said, my bitterness returning.

"What is this place? And what is the Imperium of Man if I may ask?" Celestia asked.

"I suppose I may tell you, since you have answered my questions thus far I will give you some information about my people." I said with hatred in my eyes. "I shall start with your first question. Luna as you refer to it is your sister; but in my universe it is referred to as the Satellite-moon of the cradle of Mankind as we know it. Holy it is because it is the moon of the world where not only the great Primarchs of the God-Emperor began, but Humanity as a whole began on the planet it revolved around." I spoke with fire in my voice.

"What about the Imperium of Man? What is it?" She asked again.

"The Imperium of Man is a galactic empire; we as a collective whole span across millions of worlds. Trillions upon trillions of men, women and children among the stars; on planets that have been around longer than Humanity." I spoke, remembering Meridian, my homeworld.

"Your people are spanned across a million worlds! How is that possible?" Celestia said with a gasp.

"The Emperor commanded us to spread ourselves amongst the stars, and we did as he commanded." I spoke with reverence to the Emperor.

"But that is off topic, we really must get back to you and your planet." I calmly stated.

Next question if I may. What happened on your planet that warranted such an infestation of daemon infestation?" I asked. Just as the little xeno was about to answer, a vox came in over the intercom system. "All men, general quarters, chaos fleet off the port bow! Chaos fleet off the port bow, General quarters!" The intercom blared as the alarm bells tolled all about the ship. "We'll continue this later." I said abruptly, before dashing out of the cell and sealing it behind me. I ran as fast as my augmented body could carry me to the bridge. I finally arrived at the bulkhead and I ripped the door open with my enhanced strength. "Captain, what in the Emperors holy name is going on!" I shouted. "Lord Inquisitor sir, the foul forces of chaos have sent a fleet of warships upon us! We can fight, but we will not last very long against such numbers." The captain shouted over the alarm bells and pointed to the data map of the combat zone. I paled, the enemy fleet had at least three dozen battle cruisers and several frigates; all of them heading right towards our meager battle barge. "Captain, put our ship prow first away from the enemy; we must seek to go around them or we will surely perish!" I ordered . "Captain, how did they find us?" I asked. "They detected a psychic anomaly aboard our ship and likely followed it to us." The captain said as he nodded to my previous order, and pulled the rudder to turn us broadside to the enemy fleet; but a ship, even if its captain acts fast, does not. We turned relatively slow, while the enemy fleet advanced with murderous intent; their cannons charging and swirling with daemonic energy. We watched in horror as the daemon cannons discharged; sending their foul shells swirling towards us with unreal speed. The first shell stuck us just aft of the engines; the second of them hit us dead on in the prow, blasting much off the ship. The sacristy bell rang as though the ship herself was screaming. Debris fell all around as many servitors and officers manning the controls slumped over, dead; and paneling and cables from the very roof fell inwards. When the debris and bodies were cleared from the bridge, we looked upon a scene of pure destruction; the ships entire aft area was smashed to pieces, the large plasma engines glowed as they slowly overheated. The prow of the ship was damaged beyond any hope of salvage; I saw that many compartments for the crew had been vented into space. I watched as many struggling and dead shipmates tumbled into space; choking on the sucking vacuum and dying fast. We heard a voice crackled over the vox caster. "Captain, the ship's engines are over-heating; we have not much time before they will blast this ship apart." the voice of a tech-priest said. I looked to the captain with a mixture of sorrow and anger. "Go Inquisitor Joshua, I will buy you and as many guardsmen as much time as I can with my ship; this old gal is hurt but we won't go down without giving those brutes a bloody nose." The captain calmly ordered. "Captain…..it has been an honor to serve with you." I said honestly. "And I with you Lord Inquisitor, now go and get off this ship before she blows!" He shouted. I ran off to the cell block just as the captain sealed the doors to the bridge. "Emperor be with you Inquisitor." The captain solemnly said as he and his remaining bridge crew prepared for their final battle. I ran as fast as I had ever run before; rushing past injured men and yelling for them to head for the hangar. I went round a corner; and I finally came to an abrupt stop at the cell door that held the xeno prisoner. I entered the keycode quickly and yelled as the door opened "Get your damn hooves in motion xeno; you want to live or die? you come with me if you want to live!" I howled in frustration at the sleeping xeno. The little alicorn shook out of bed groggily, and I just rushed in and grabbed the little xeno by the mane forcefully; I dragged it out of the room; kicking and screaming, and down the corridor to the hangar. The hangar was complete chaos, servitors were slumped over or running about like chickens with their heads cut off; thanks to the damage at the bridge, this has happened. The gun-gangs ran about frantically trying to put out the many fires around, and at the same time were arming craft to escape. The gangs had many wounded that were sloppily patched up; but they ran about doing their job just as frantically. I rushed to the nearest Thunderhawk and slammed my gauntlet upon the hatch switch. The door steadily opened and I threw the alicorn inside roughly. "Stay in here little xeno, I must gather a crew to pilot this thing!" I harshly ordered, not waiting for a response. I ran through the hangar, grabbing men and telling them to head for thunderhawk one and wait there until further orders. They compiled, and ran to the thunderhawk with blinding speed. I finally had gathered enough men and I myself rushed back to the ship, finding the men strapping in and readying up; I too boarded the thunderhawk. "Pilot, get us out of here now!" I shouted as we all strapped in; even the xeno had managed to strap in. The thunderhawk steadily lifted off and the rear hatch slammed shut as we slid gracefully out of the hangar just as another salvo of rounds shot towards the barge. I looked on in horror as the rounds struck the very hangar we had been in moments ago; blasting and incinerating it to nothing. I finally saw the ancient ship return fire; the very fury of the Emperor seemed to be behind the rounds; they struck many a chaos ship, some completely dissolved in the face of such a furious barrage. Many other ships were smashed to the point of abandonment. Our thunderhawk sped off just as the two sides exchanged barrage after barrage with each other. We finally hit the atmosphere and were just getting into normal airspace when a loud explosion was heard behind us; followed by a huge shockwave that buffeted the thunderhawk heavily. I looked out the porthole only to see a giant blue residual explosion where the Emperor's Holy Fury had once been. I mourned as did the others in silence; the ship and crew we had all known for such a long time. "Inquisitor, men, we are coming towards the magos camp now; they are under attack by a daemon horde." The pilot reported over the vox. "Men of the Imperium, prepare for the fight of our lives; today we shall take vengeance upon the chaos filth and shall stop their assault on Magos Procrean and his tech-priests!" I ordered loudly. I got roars in response as our thunderhawk touched ground and the hatch opened up. We charged out with murder in our eyes; straight into battle my men followed. We were met with my three deathwatch kill team members and even the tech-priests fought. We were in the midst of the enemy, hacking and slashing; daemon blood scattered everywhere. I found myself soon at the old magos back; and we took on the daemons with the skill and precision thousands of years will give a man. The old magos moved with great speed, smashing many daemons to pieces with his piston hammer arm, or slicing several daemons apart with his servo arm saws. His bionic eyes glowered with fury and he brought many daemons to death. I myself was slicing into the horde, sword and pistol blazing with energy. My pistol ran out, so I switched to using my sword two handed, cutting many daemons apart. I watched as the horde thinned and thinned until finally with Tark and Avit's support fire; we killed all of them off. The ground was littered with the bodies of daemons; their blood pooled around our greaves and had soaked our armor. We looked like daemons ourselves now, bathed in the enemies blood and death all around us. I looked back to the thunderhawk and growled like an animal as the little xeno finally came back into view. "You! You did this! My ship, my men, all of them gone because of you and your Emperor-damned psyker abilities!" I howled in primal rage as I approached the little alicorn. I advanced into the ship as she fled deeper into the ancient thunderhawk. I finally reached it and lifted the alicorn as roughly as possible by its mane. I dragged it back out of the ship; it hitting every little bump and piece of metal on the ship. I hauled the xeno upwards as it hit the dirt, and stared into its eye; fury and hatred blazed in mine as we stared at each other. "I am going to show you how much pain you have caused me and my men over these past two days!" I screamed in its ear; hearing a whimper in response. "Lord Inquisitor sir, is it wise to proceed like this? We need that xeno alive and well; you generally don't leave those that anger you alive for long." Avit spoke solemnly. I paid not much heed to his words and asked for Sec's hammer; he handed it to me and I felt the weight of it in my left hand. I handed the xeno to Avit "Hold the little xeno still, I want to hit this just right." I snarled in pure hatred. Avir held the xeno firm, exposing its head for me. I hefted the hammer up over my head. "Time to feel true pain." I said coldly. I smashed the hammer down upon her horn, the hammer smashed the delicate little horn to pieces and Celestia screamed in pure agony as the horn shattered. I then tossed the hammer back to sec and said "Now you know how I feel; how I feel about my ship, my men dying. This all happened because of you and now we are stuck on your sorry excuse for a world with a daemon infestation and possibly your corrupted subjects." I spat out in anger, grief and hatred of the xenos all together.

And thus is the cliffhanger end of chapter two in this series. How was it my friends? Please express your thoughts **Constructively** in the form of a **Review**. So, Read, **Review**, and like; all of that good stuff. For Blessed is the mind too small for doubt.

This is DeathAngelWolf, Signing off.


	3. Log three: Answers Found

**Audio Log Three: Searching for Answers. Begin Playback.**

Location: Equis lll. Canterlot. Magos Procreans camp.

"Inquisitor! Joshua; What are you doing!" Magos Procrean spouted in his machine voice. I turned to the magos with fury in my eyes; yet his one eye held naught but sadness and a hint of anger.

"Magos; this xeno was responsible for the destruction of the Emperor's Holy Fury. Her psyker powers led a Chaos fleet to us and they have destroyed her; naught even a piece of scrap is left. I have punished her the way I saw fit for such a crime; I have removed her source of psyker powers." I said while pointing to the xeno Alicorn.

"That you certainly did; but, did you perhaps consider that we could have used those abilities to our advantage over these disgusting Daemons. Perhaps you did not consider that this...this xeno pony could have held the key to us finding out what happened here." The magos said as he wiped a piece of daemon flesh off of his sleeve.

"No….I did not take this into account; but I shall see to it that we shall protect the xeno from further injury." I said as I looked to Apothecary Tark.

Tark nodded silently; and he went over to the slumped Alicorn and knelt by its side. He began to pull out all of his gear that he was going to need to wake her from her pain induced unconsciousness. He lifted up a vial that was filled with adrenaline and held a syringe in his other gauntlet. He stuck the syringe into the vial and slowly drew back upon it; sucking the correct amount of adrenaline necessary to wake her. He then carefully pushed the blade sharp syringe into the xenos flank; and pressed down on the plunger. The adrenaline was slowly administered; until finally naught remained in the syringe. He slowly and painstakingly withdrew the syringe and placed it back into his medical kit. We watched as the Alicorn began to slowly wake from its slumber.

"Hmpf…..ugh…...Oh my Head hurts like the sun shines!" The little Alicorn moaned as she slowly began to rise.

"Welcome back to the land of the living putrid little xeno. I hope you enjoyed your rest for it is all you will get for a long time." I said, my voice as cold as ice.

Instantly, the xenos eyes snapped wide open and looked at me; wide eyed and very much afraid. I stared back; my angry glare reaching into the depths of her soul.

"You…...you have to keep him away from me! He'll get me just like the monsters got my sister and student!" Celestia screeched.

Avit stepped forwards; but I waved my hand to ward him off. I took a step forwards; and the Alicorn took a step back. I slowly started to make my way over to her; watching as she slowly retreated until she was backed against Sec. She turned; and looked into the helm of the old terminator. Fear plainly clear in her eyes.

"Come now Celestia; what I did was in the heat of the moment. A fit of rage and grief had overtaken me and I regressed back into a primal state. Can we not start over and you can try to help us figure out what happened to your world?" I asked nicely; for once being honest. I held out my hand to her. She looked at it warily; as though I might kill her should she touch it.

"I can offer you help for your pain and your mental trauma only if you agree to help me and we can start over." I said, my voice straining as I was growing tired from all the days events. Celestia put out her hoof; I took it and shook it.

"Alright Inquisitor Joshua; but you and your men will have to do most of the work since my horn is destroyed. I cannot do my magic you see without it." Celestia said in a cold tone.

I raised my eyebrows as I looked at her. "Damn, she really has taken lessons from me hasn't she. I guess ponies or Alicorns might also be impressionable; as there is no way she was like this before my arrival." I pondered to myself.

I watched as one of the Magos tech-priests came down the cobbled and pitted road. He arrived next to the Magos and spoke in the language of the machine to him. He dismissed the tech-priest and looked over to me once more.

"Inquisitor, we have established tarantula gun turrets to guard the perimeter; we will not have to worry about daemons in the night now." Magos Procrean stated with his usual monotone.

I nodded my head in thanks and started to walk slowly back towards the old camp; the others following suit. When we arrived at the camp we saw that it was bustling with the sound of hammers to anvils and servo saws to wood.

"Amazing what the Mechanicus can do in such a short time eh." I said, looking to Celestia. She seemed just as she did when on the Emperors Holy Fury; astonished at the sheer technology and the artistic design of it all.

"This place used to be a little trinkets shop that me and Luna would go to when we had time off. We usually would stop in and just sit and talk for hours on end with the nice couple that lived here." Celestia said solemnly; no doubt reminiscing about her time spent here.

Sec stepped forwards; and he moved over to the alicorns side before kneeling down to meet her eye level. "Xeno, pony, whatever you are; I may have been designed from birth for war and nothing else, but like you I also had a life like this once. It was a quaint existence in the fields and caverns of Calth. I enjoyed that life, but I sacrificed that life in the service of the Emperor when I became an Ultramarine. You still have your chance to live your life; and by the throne as long as my body draws breath from this world I will not rest until your sister and student are found; alive and safely returned to you." Sec said with fire in his eyes and zeal in his voice.

Celestia looked up to Sec; and she was crying. "Th….Thank you sir. Without you and your people I would not even be alive now. I know now that I should not focus on the past; yet instead look to the future and know that you will keep that promise, even to your grave." Celestia said happily amid her tears.

"Aye, there is not a man here who would not give his life to stop the foul things that have taken your friends and family." Avit said with conviction.

The men looked to me for what I would say. I stopped; collected my thoughts and took a deep breath as I readied to give what is arguably my best mini speech to date.

"You must face the truth squarely and without flinching from duty. Our Enemies are mortal no longer. Mercy for such as they is a chimera, self-deception is its only ally. Dedicate this weapon, given unto your hand at the behest of the Emperor, to their destruction. Regard its role as your only duty: you live only to bring cleansing fire. Take up your Sword and pistol, your armour and Bolter, and go forth." I finished to shouts and cheers that spanned for miles around.

"Inquisitor, that was quite a speech; but my augers read that once again your body is fatigued. Likely from the physical exertion of battle and being up for many hours." The Magos' cogitator hummed as he spoke.

"Aye Magos, my old friend; I am tired. As I should expect after having served in the Emperors name for over a thousand years." I yawned quite loudly as I spoke. i looked to the xeno to see her surprise at finding out my true age.

"You….you are over a thousand years old? You don't look a day over thirty." Celestia said, at a loss for any more words.

"Aye, it is genetic manipulation and physical training that has kept me fit and young for so long. I am not ageless like an Astartes though; but I can still live a very long time." I said with sleepiness in my eyes. "And one last thing; all of you go the hell to bed! I want to actually get some good rest for once and you all walking about will not help !" I shouted as I moved over to a recently set up cot. I fell forwards onto the bed; not bothering to remove my armor. As I hit the bed I was out ,like a light.

Joshua's Dreamscape.

"Hmmm…...something is not right. I should be having my normal nightmares like clockwork." I pondered as I looked about in my dream. I heard the sound of what sounded like a young woman being attacked. I turned on my heels and rushed towards the screams and whimpers. I came running smack into a small contingent of daemons that had surrounded a bluish purple Alicorn. I roared with primal rage as I charged into the stunned horde. I was in their midst; hacking and slashing. Their blood staining everything; including myself and my armor. I turned and was smashed off my feet by a large daemon; who roared in my face as I was upon the ground. I looked into his cold, dead eye; eternally defiant. I stood; beaten upon, yet unbroken. I then raised my sword high to the heavens. "God-Emperor, give me strength in this battle; give me the strength to stop this daemon from harming the innocent, the weak, the young." I said as I roared one last time and charged forwards with my blade ready. I met it halfway; jumping to the side to dodge its huge claws. I hauled my sword upwards as it missed; and slashed a huge gash across its stomach. I then ripped my sword out and slashed it into the daemons throat; watching as blood splurged forth in the gallons. I watched as the daemon slowly toppled over as it lost its lifeblood. I yanked the blade out harshly; and turned back to the small Alicorn.

"Who are you little alicorn?" I asked with no hostility in my voice.

"My…...my name is Luna…..princess Luna; ruler of the night. Who are you?" Luna asked, somewhat fearfully.

"I am Inquisitor Lord Joshua of the Imperium of Man. Are you the sister of the one called Celestia?" I asked.

"You….you know Tia? Where is she? You have to get together to stop this madness before it destroys all of Equestria!" Luna loudly spoke.

"I am afraid that it is too late Luna; for your sisters powers are useless now that her horn is broken. Plus, the world here is destroyed; naught even one pony besides Celestia has been sighted." I sighed in frustration.

"I cannot come to you in physical form Inquisitor Lord Joshua; I am trapped as a prisoner in my body. Nightmare Moon has seized control once again and I can only contact you through dreams." Luna said, sounding agitated.

"You have been possessed by a daemon? I swore an oath to your sister after the….the accident that I would find and bring both you and Twilight Sparkle home safe and unharmed. But a daemon possessing you could make that job a lot harder. Is there Any way that you can think of that I can free you? Where are you anyways?" I asked, trying to figure out what to do.

"I am in the place where our rule was once completely as one. We ruled together before the first coming of Nightmare Moon. you must free us or this world will never be saved." Luna said, speaking in a riddle.

I felt myself waking, and I asked one last thing. "What can we use to free you? Surely you do not expect our holy bolters to be able to do this.

"You must find the Elements of Harmony; and their owners before you can free us. They are scattered across Equestria; and each one is with their bearer." Luan said, her voice fading.

I awoke to the sound of greaves and hooves clanking and galloping towards me. I rose; unsteadily at first, yet regained my balance just as Celestia trotted in.

"Greetings Alicorn; We have much to discuss." I said Chillingly.

**End of Audio Recording three.**

And, so it looks like another chapter in the story of Inquisitor Joshua is complete. So, did you like it? Please let me know your thoughts and or ideas you may have about my story in the form of a **Review.** To be honest; I believe that the old Inquisitor has finally cracked. I mean, he now treats Celestia like a human being and even offered to help save her sister and student. So, anyways; Read, **Review**, and like; all that good stuff. For to consort with the Heretic is to endanger your purity; but to lie to an Inquisitor is to endanger your soul.

This is DeathAngelWolf, signing off.


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